Waterworld Compare And Contrast

Although Waterworld is no where near the desert or the west, it definitely a western film because of the main theme of the movie. I think these two have more things in common than they do differences. Here is a little brief summary of these two movies before I compare and contrast the two. Stagecoach is a film with all the elements of a western movie. The main character is on a mission for redemption. He joins a convoy of others on a journey across the harsh western terrain while being attacked by Indians. Although Waterworld doesn’t contain any cowboys, saloons, or horses, I think the film has enough to be considered a western movie. In Waterworld, the main character is just trying to survive but, he gets caught up on a journey to find the

last piece of land that isn’t covered in water. He is joined by a little girl, her guardian, and is constantly chased by the bad guys who are called smokers. They want the little girl because the map is tattooed on her back.
Waterworld and Stagecoach share the same theme but have a totally different setting.

When I think of a western theme, the same scenarios come to mind. The main character is someone who is usually alone but, he eventually teams up with others to finish a journey. Whether the character helps because they have a change of heart or if they are just using people to help themselves. In Stagecoach Ringo, the main character, is looking for the guy who killed his brother. He was alone at first but his horse ends up leaving him and the sheriff brings him along for the journey. Along the way, Ringo helps fight of Geronimo’s soldiers to make sure everyone makes it to town safely. The Mariner is the main character in Waterworld is alone at sea but, he gets held captive at a settlement because they find out he has gills. He escapes with a kid and her guardian and start their journey to find the last piece of land that is not under water. Both of these characters start off by themselves but eventually team up with others to get the job done. Also they both ride off into the sunset at the

end.
Obviously the main difference in these two films is the setting.

Waterworld takes place on the ocean but, Stagecoach is the complete opposite. In Stagecoach, they travel across the desert pretty much. Both are harsh environments filled with dangerous animals and bandits. Ringo and the stagecoach are attacked by the Geronimo’s people but, in Waterworld, they are constantly being chased by smokers. The bandit type character plays a big role in these two movies. Although the smokers have a different reason for harassing people. Geronimo’s soldiers are just trying to kill them without really wanting anything for them. They are not trying to steal something like the smokers are. All the smokers want is the little kid because she has the map to Dryland.

There is also a type of division in social classes in these films. The Mariner is treated differently because he has gills and the little girl is called a freak because she has that tattoo on her back. In Stagecoach, Dallas is hated because she is a prostitute. Nobody wants anything to do with these two at the beginning but they end up being a huge help. Dallas helps with the delivery of Lucy’s baby and in the end Lucy feels bad for the way she treated her. In Waterword, he helps with finding dry land and the kid has the map to show them where to

go.
After looking through my notes, I´ve come to the conclusion that Waterworld can be considered a western movie. It has a good amount of elements that Stagecoach has like I stated. I know a lot of people that would disagree with me but I feel like I made some good points. Also like I stated before, these films have more in common than they do differences. It was hard to do a compare and contrast because aside from the obvious difference, they seem a lot alike. The main thing they have different is the setting.